Afternoon update: Hurricane Ida makes landfall

Published 12:08 pm Sunday, August 29, 2021

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ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH — Hurricane Ida has made landfall near Port Fourchon as a dangerous Category 4 storm with wind speeds of 150 miles per hour, just seven miles per hour short of becoming a Category 5.

Ida marks the third landfalling hurricane with winds of 150 miles per hour in Louisiana history. It is tied in strength with Hurricane Laura (2020) and the Last Island Hurricane (1856). A storm with 150 miles per hour winds is 256 times more destructive than a category one with 75 mph winds.

For the remainder of the day, St. John Parish residents can expect Northeast winds 30 to 40 miles per hour, with gusts increasing to 65 to 80 miles per hour. Gusts up to 100 miles per hour are possible in the afternoon.

St. John the Baptist Parish will be under a parish-wide curfew beginning 6 p.m. tonight through 7 a.m. Monday.

Please take note of the following emergency contacts:

Emergency Preparedness: 985-652-2222
Power Outage: 1-800-9OUTAGE
Atmos Energy: 1-888-286-6700
St. John Sheriff’s Office: 985-652-9513
LA Info & Referral Service: 211
To Report flooding or water/sewerage emergencies: 911
* Text SJPWEATHER to 888-777 for text alerts
* Report downed power lines immediately to Entergy at
1-800-9OUTAGE